Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale – Child (SCAS-Child)
A 46-item self-report scale used to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms in children aged 8-15 years across six domains.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale – Child (SCAS-Child) was developed by Susan H. Spence (1997). It is designed to measure Childhood anxiety symptoms. The scale is intended for use with Children aged 8-15 years.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 46 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Separation anxiety, Social phobia, Obsessive compulsive, Panic/agoraphobia, Physical Injury, Generalised anxiety.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Separation anxiety | 5,8,12,15,16,44 | 6 |
| Social phobia | 6,7,9,10,29,35 | 6 |
| Obsessive compulsive | 14,19,27,40,41,42 | 6 |
| Panic/agoraphobia | 13,21,28,30,32,34,36,37,39 | 9 |
| Physical Injury | 2,18,23,25,33 | 5 |
| Generalised anxiety | 1,3,4,20,22,24 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never, 1 = Sometimes, 2 = Often, 3 = Always.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 114. Interpretation guidelines:
- Total raw score range. Higher scores indicate greater severity of anxiety symptoms. A percentile score above 84 indicates clinically significant anxiety symptoms.: 0 – 114
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.